Chapter 117: The Price of Defiance

Lucian’s pulse instantly spiked.

The moment he noticed the dark tendrils spreading across Lia’s pale back, his body reacted instinctively.

He immediately tried pulling his hands away from her.

But even after his trembling palms separated from his skin—

The dark black energy remained stuck to her body.

And worse—

It was slowly spreading further, like living shadows crawling across her skin.

Lucian’s pupils shook faintly.

The tendrils twisted as they spread across her back, toward her shoulders, toward her neck.

‘It’s already devouring her…?’ he thought heavily.

His exhausted brain raced as he tried to think through everything.

Using his analysis skill, he looked at her status window once more.

[Status Window]

Name – Amelia Scarlett

Race – Vampire

Rank – D

Titles – Hidden Heir

Bloodline – Scarlett Bloodline

Affinity – Fire

Talent – S

— — —

‘S rank talent…’ he mumbled inwardly as his eyes remained on the last section.

He didn’t know if he had to be surprised or not, seeing that her talent had increased, risen to S rank.

It was a monstrous jump, directly from C rank to S rank.

But that only meant that her high talent would collapse if he stopped her from drinking his blood.

Her evolution would be destroyed midway.

Then there was also the part of damaging her soul—something he didn’t understand much.

Lucian’s teeth clenched harder.

So hard his jaw visibly trembled.

His hands tightened unconsciously.

Then finally—

He made his decision, letting out a faint exhale.

But rather than pushing her away—

Lucian slowly lowered his arms and gently tightened his embrace around her.

“Gulp… hmm~~ gulp gulp…”

The soft sounds of Lia drinking his blood reached his ears as she continued sucking without stopping.

Lucian’s vision blurred faintly again, and breathing was becoming far more harder.

Because of the previous toxins he’d breathed and ingested while being inside the enormous worm’s stomach—

Every breath felt painful, as though his lungs were being scraped apart from the inside.

Lucian slowly closed his eyes and remained completely still for a long time.

[What are you doing…?]

Akasha’s confused voice quietly echoed in his mind.

But Lucian didn’t give any answer in return.

Only his rough, uneven breathing continued filling the ruined silence around then.

Alongside the quiet sounds Lia occasionally made while snuggling even closer against him.

Her arms were tightly wrapped around him, almost possessively.

But after a few seconds—

Lia’s brows gradually tightened as she drank his blood, as though something was bothering her.

As though she could subconsciously feel the dark energy spreading across her body.

But even then, she didn’t pull away.

Thirty more seconds passed.

The black tendrils continued seeping out from Lucian’s body, as nearly a fourth of Lia’s body had already been covered.

The darkness crawled slowly across her pale skin like veins made from shadows—not even reflecting against the sunlight.

Yet throughout all of it—

Lucian didn’t move once, not even an inch.

Then suddenly—

The tendrils abruptly began to tremble, the dark energy vibrating unnaturally as if something invisible had suddenly grabbed hold of it.

[You are trying to stop your bloodline…?]

Akasha muttered in mild disbelief.

Still—

Lucian remained silent, his entire mind completely focused on one thing.

Stopping it.

The unique skill Devour he had…

It was an extension of his bloodline.

A part of him.

And if it truly was a part of him—

Then he should be able to control it.

At least… that was what he believed.

But the process wasn’t as easy as he imagined it would be.

Trying to suppress his bloodline felt like trying to move a massive boulder with just his two weak, trembling hands.

Almost impossible.

His mind strained until his skull throbbed with so much agony that he just wanted to bash it over a concrete wall.

Each inhale became a struggle, and he had to consciously struggle to breathe.

But despite all that—

He just pushed further.

Even while feeling like controlling his bloodline itself was impossible—

He still continued.

Because he refused both choices.

He didn’t want to devour Lia—didn’t want to kill her.

And he also refused to cripple her talent.

To strip her of the powers she had finally obtained.

Even if the current path was nearly impossible and way more straining—

He still chose it.

And amidst all the pain and exhaustion consuming him, a small part in him couldn’t help but think—

‘Why am I doing this…?’

His consciousness felt hazy, almost drifting away.

‘Taking this path… when I know… when I can clearly feel it’s nearly impossible?’

He bit his lips hard.

The metallic taste was still in his tongue.

‘Why?… Why…?’

He didn’t have an answer for all those questions.

And neither did he want one either.

He simply wanted to do it.

And call him selfish or not, but he was putting Lia’s life on the line right now.

Because if it didn’t work, then she would die.

“Haa…!”

A sharp gasp escaped Lucian’s mouth as his eyes opened wide instantly.

He immediately began taking several deep breaths.

His chest rose and fell heavily, his heartbeat ringing in his ears.

His temples throbbed with each pulse.

His gaze quickly lowered, only to see that the black tendril had stopped moving.

They trembled violently in place across Lia’s skin.

But only for a second.

The moment his concentration broke—

The tendrils suddenly surged again, this time faster.

The darkness instantly spread upward and completely covered her back, crawling toward her neck.

Lucian’s bloodshot eyes sharpened faintly as he instantly closed them once again.

Forcing every remaining fragment of his concentration toward the dark energy spreading across Lia’s body.

They had already reached down past her waist, slowly crawling lower toward her thighs.

Then suddenly, the tendrils shook violently again, abruptly halting from moving further.

After a few moments had passed, the darkness quivered across her pale skin.

Then slowly…

Very slowly…

The tendrils began to move once again.

Lucian’s teeth ground together, and blood spilled down his lips in fits of coughing.

His entire body trembled faintly from the strain.

Lia’s own expression tightened further against his neck, a small shiver passing through her body as if something was trying to invade her from the inside.

Instinctively, her teeth sank deeper into his neck.

“Hngh—!”

Lucian’s breathing hitched painfully.

He could already feel the symptoms of blood loss.

His lips had gone pale, and his heartbeat increased further and further.

Lia’s arms tightened around his neck even more, so tightly that breathing itself became difficult.

But even then—

He didn’t let his focus break.

‘You are my skill…’ his thoughts trembled violently.

‘So fucking listen to me…!’

The scream echoed through his consciousness.

The black tendrils suddenly shook harder, almost fearfully, as if they had actually heard his words.

Lucian’s pupils quivered beneath his closed eyelids.

Just as he was trying to feel his control getting faintly easier—

[Ding!~]

A sudden chime rang in his head, making him abruptly open his eyes as several translucent messages appeared before his blurry vision.

[Unknown blood has been detected entering the host.]

[Source: Scarlett Bloodline]

[Racial changes commencing…]

For a brief second, Lucian genuinely didn’t understand what he was reading as he could barely see the message—especially not with his sluggish mind.

But in the next second, his entire body violently trembled.

“AAGGHHH—!!”

The scream tore out from his throat as a pain unlike anything he’d felt before assaulted his entire body all at once.

It was far worse than the acid burning through his skin.

Far more than every injury he had suffered today combined.

It felt like something inside his body was forcibly changing—twisting and tearing apart his very existence from the inside.

[Ding!~]

A red screen flickered before his vision, along with Akasha’s voice that echoed in his mind.

[Devourer’s Bloodline is attempting to devour the Scarlett Bloodline.]

[Devourer’s Bloodline is attempting to devour the individual Amelia Scarlett.]

Lucian bit onto his lips so hard he could feel the flesh tearing apart.

He had to stop it.

Immediately.

“Who…”

His hoarse voice echoed weakly.

“Who gave you the right to decide what I want…!”

His burned hand shakily moved down toward Lia’s back.

Toward the writhing black tendrils covering her pale skin.

His trembling fingers suddenly clenched tightly around the tendrils themselves.

The moment he touched them, a familiar feeling surged through him, as if touching a part of his body.

Ignoring that, Lucian forcefully grabbed hold of the darkness and—

He ripped them away, tearing strands of that darkness that immediately dissolved back into his body.

“She’s mine! No one else’s!”

His scream echoed through the destroyed streets.

Again and again, he kept tearing apart the tendrils spreading across her body, ripping parts of them away and immediately reabsorbing them into him.

His heartbeat skyrocketed violently to unhealthy levels.

His vision continuously darkened at the edges.

Pain exploded through his skull repeatedly.

But he still refused to stop.

As soon as he was about to completely lose hope—

[Ding!~]

Another chime suddenly rang in his head.

Lucian’s expression twisted violently.

“NOW WHAT!”

He shouted hoarsely, only to close his mouth as the screens appeared before him.

[Devouring Bloodline has listened to your commands.]

Lucian froze.

His hazy eyes widened faintly in disbelief.

Lucian’s gaze lowered instinctively, noticing the black tendrils slowly retreating from her body.

Gradually seeping back into his own body once again.

Until only Lia remained, completely exposed beneath the morning sunlight.

No scars, no wounds, nothing.

Only her trembling naked body pressed tightly against him.

Then another message appeared.

[Trying to match compatibility…]

Lucian’s eyes weakly shifted toward it.𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

[…]

[…]

Long seconds passed silently.

Then finally—

[Very High Compatibility Found.]

Another screen followed immediately.

[Last requirement needed to start changing the race.]

Lucian’s brows faintly narrowed as his exhausted mind struggled to understand.

What requirement?

And changing the race?

His breathing grew increasingly uneven, his entire body trembling under the strain of simply remaining conscious.

His vision blurred further.

“Huh…?”

A confused mumble escaped his lips as the world tilted.

And before he could react, his body collapsed backward.

Broken rubble and shattered concrete dug sharply into his back.

Yet strangely, he barely felt anything.

Lia’s arms squeezed around his neck more tightly, so tightly that breathing became impossible.

Lucian weakly tried moving her hands away.

But the moment he attempted to move—

His pupils trembled faintly.

He couldn’t.

He couldn’t move his own body.

His muscles no longer responded.

His fingers wouldn’t move.

His arms wouldn’t move.

He tried to open his mouth, but even that didn’t work.

In the same way when his body had been previously paralysed for so many years.

It was like… like his body itself was shutting down completely.

Everything before his eyes slowly began darkening.

His heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears.

Slower.

And slower.

‘Wha…?’

His dimming gaze lowered toward Lia’s black hair resting against him.

Then—

The light inside his eyes gradually dulled.

The faint lingering tension in his muscles faded completely.

His body went limp beneath the morning sunlight.

And just before the familiar darkness consumed everything entirely—

[Ding!~]

One final message appeared before his fading vision.

[You have died.]

100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter

50 Golden Tickets = 1 extra chapter

This is the most I can do by now. Might increase the number of releases if you support me more.